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Charging Up: The State of Utility-Scale Electricity Storage in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Robertson, Molly

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Mirzapour, Omid
  • Palmer, Karen

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

Grid-scale storage can play an important role in providing reliable electricity supply, particularly on a system with increasing variable resources like wind and solar. Economics, public policies, and market rules all play a role in shaping the landscape for storage development. In this report, we offer an overview of these factors, drawing on the relevant literature and ongoing policy dialogue. We explore the potential role these factors have played in shaping the growth of storage across the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Robertson, Molly & Mirzapour, Omid & Palmer, Karen, 2025. "Charging Up: The State of Utility-Scale Electricity Storage in the United States," RFF Reports 25-09, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:report:rp-25-09
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    File URL: https://www.rff.org/documents/4877/Report_25-09.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mallapragada, Dharik S. & Junge, Cristian & Wang, Cathy & Pfeifenberger, Hannes & Joskow, Paul L. & Schmalensee, Richard, 2023. "Electricity pricing challenges in future renewables-dominant power systems," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    2. Neetzow, Paul & Pechan, Anna & Eisenack, Klaus, 2018. "Electricity storage and transmission: Complements or substitutes?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 367-377.
    3. Neal Ma & Ningkun Zheng & Ning Qi & Bolun Xu, 2025. "Comparative Withholding Behavior Analysis of Historical Energy Storage Bids in California," Papers 2501.13324, arXiv.org.
    4. Biancardi, Andrea & Mendes, Carla & Staffell, Iain, 2024. "Battery electricity storage as both a complement and substitute for cross-border interconnection," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    5. Jesse Buchsbaum & Catherine Hausman & Johanna L Mathieu & Jing Peng, 2024. "Spillovers from ancillary services to wholesale energy markets," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 55(1), pages 87-111, March.
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